Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – With particular coupling link
Reexamination Certificate
1997-06-24
2001-05-29
Hofsass, Jeffery A. (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
With particular coupling link
C340S573300, C340S568300, C340S572800, C340S870030, C340S870030, C342S357490, C342S126000, C342S450000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06239700
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a signaling system that enables an individual in distress to initiate an alarm to alert appropriate personnel combined with a locating and tracking system that enables the alerted personnel to monitor the location of the individual in distress.
BACKGROUND
We are constantly reminded of the need for personal security in today's society. All too often in the news we hear of missing persons and the dramatic searches which ensue. For each heroic story of a “just-in-time” rescue of a person who is abducted, lost, in a threatening situation, or in need of emergency medical care, there are many more personal dramas which unfortunately end in tragedy. It follows that immediate notification of an emergency situation and a prompt response from police, paramedics, fire department, or another service organization are essential for the well-being of the individual.
Today's technology provides us with public services such as the 911 telephone number for rapidly summoning emergency help if we are able to access a telephone, dial the number, and communicate our location. However, these services fall short in the case of a young child, a mentally incompetent or medically incapacitated person, someone lost in the woods, or the victim of an abduction or kidnapping. These situations necessitate a security system that travels with the individual, is not limited in range, is able to define and signal an emergency situation without human intervention, and identifies the individual's location. Such a system would provide protection to the individual and peace of mind to those responsible for his or her care and well-being.
A number of prior art devices have been proposed for use as personal alarms and tracking systems, as well as to automate the dispatch of proper authorities to a person in an emergency situation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,284 issued to Levelle et al. discloses a collar to prevent abduction. The Levelle et al. device does not allow the user to manually activate any one of several alarm states or levels. It relies on a wide range of available receivers, such as directional radio receivers, amateur radio receivers, or television receivers to give an approximate location of the collar, not the individual, once the collar is removed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,744,083, 4,839,656, and 4,965,586 issued to O'Neill disclose variations of a system that uses positioning determining satellites in a geostationary orbit. This system is intended to be used to generate terrain maps, to test message transfer link signal quality, and for determining the elevation of an object by comparing transmitted information with a stored terrain map. It is not intended for use as a personal security system, nor is it capable of being so used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,062 issued to Sanderford et al. discloses a radio position determination and apparatus based on measured times-of-arrival of radio signals from a plurality of land-based transmitters. This patent is concerned with errors due to multipath (signal reflection) problems causing errors in locating the signal source.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,998 issued to Apsell et al. provides a system for tracking stolen motor vehicles, not individuals, using radio direction-finding methods. This system is initiated only after a delay in reporting and verification through a national database of registered users of the system. The method of using radio direction-finding techniques also delays locating the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,860 issued to Hargrove et al. discloses a wrist-mounted device for sensing vital functions. It is activated only when preset pulse rate and body temperature limits are exceeded. The user relies on an emergency aircraft locator beacon to order to be found. There is no provision for a manually activated security alarm.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,885,571, 4,918,432, and 4,952,913 issued to Pauley et al. describe methods of monitoring prisoners confined to a “house arrest.” These methods are intended for use within the restricted limits of a field monitoring device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,794 issued to Lawrence discloses a personal emergency locator using UHF radio direction-finding and distance-measuring equipment to find a person. This patent only provides for remote activation by a child's parent of the wearer's locating transmitter; it does not provide for the wearer to initiate the alarm. As in other prior art of this type, this device also relies on a time-consuming method of radio direction-finding techniques and skills to eventually locate the person wearing the alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,314 issued to Linwood et al. describes a system and method for tracking a number of subjects, each wearing a personal infrared transmitter, detected by a plurality of receivers in a pre-determined area. This system is limited to identification and tracking within line-of-sight in confined areas and does not lend itself for use in widespread geographical areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,825 issued to Young discloses an apparatus for monitoring the location of a person and determining whether the person is in distress using a transceiver and at least one remote receiver. In the monitor mode, the alarm activation apparatus must continuously transmit a signal which is used to activate the alarm. This feature has limitations due to the fact that the transmitter is always on, shortening the life of available battery power. Again, as in other references previously mentioned, the user must be located by radio direction-finding equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,809 issued to Bunn discloses a personal security system that requires constructing a plurality of automatic direction-finding antennas in an appropriately organized and spaced relation within the geographical area to be monitored. Once a rough estimate of where the transmitting signal is located, a more precise location must be determined by the use of direction-finding equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,842 issued to Brown et al. discloses a vehicle or any other animate or inanimate object tracking and navigation system employing GPS satellites and a remote GPS receiver. Although the Brown et al. system uses GPS technology, it does provide the advantages of an optimal personal security system. Specifically, this system does not contemplate active and/or passive alarm signal generation by a personal security device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,974 issued to Simms et al. discloses a fully automatic security system to be used to protect passengers in a motor vehicle. This system also lacks certain elements of an optimal personal security system, including the ability to provide personal security independent of a vehicle and the ability of a central station to initiate a status request of the mobile unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,254 issued to Kah, Jr. discloses a location monitoring system that utilizes a radio transmitter and a radio receiver to monitor the movement of a person or object. The receiver sounds an alarm at a predetermined time after failure to receive a signal. This system requires the use of a receiver to determine range and direction to locate the user. As in other prior art of this type, Kah, Jr. '254 also relies on using a method of radio direction- and range-finding which takes time and skill to eventually locate the person wearing the alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,227 issued to Carroll et al. discloses a system that monitors an individual for compliance with a protective order. The system is activated when the violator's transmitter is detected by the victim's receiving apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,461,390 issued to Hoshen addresses the problem for monitoring a number of prisoners within a specified boundary and is useful for “house arrest” and stalker detection. This patent relates to monitoring a subject's location and comparing the location listed on a database as to where the subject should be.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,419 issued to Sheffer describes a tracking system and method for tracking a movable object carrying a cellular phone unit. The phone un
Doe David G.
Hoffman Ann
Hoffman Judd A.
Hoffman Mark S.
Cohen Jerry
Hoffman Resources, Inc.
Hofsass Jeffery A.
Paul Edwin H.
Pope Daryl C.
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